MY.DOOM: Earth's Deadliest [Computer] Virus

Computers are an integral part of our lives. We use it for work, leisure, education and keep data stored in them. The majority of the time, they work perfectly, but there are times when our computers suddenly start to act unusually. If this happens, it might be affected by a computer virus.

A computer virus threatens the health of your computer, causing it to get "sick." Like their organic counterparts, they can also replicate and spread to other computers in your network via infected emails, files and USB drives. They can cause anything from annoying pop-ups to allowing others to control your device. The worst thing that can happen with a virus is that it wipes out all your hard drives or you get a ransomware attack, wherein someone grabs all your data and then charges you ransom money to get it back.

Viruses can also cause significant global disruption due to the inter-connectivity we enjoy today. In 2004, this is what happened when a virus fittingly called MyDoom triggered global computing chaos. MyDoom was particularly insidious, spreading so fast via emails with a bad attachment that once opened, would cause the virus to spread itself to everyone in your email network. Today, almost 20 years later, MyDoom is still considered the worst (computer) virus in history, causing over $38 Billion in losses.

No one knows who made the MyDoom virus and why they chose to release it, leading to the question of who makes computer viruses exactly?

Despite the harmful effects of viruses, there is value to them by keeping users aware and on their toes regarding computer and cyber safety. No one in the tech industry should be complacent because other "MyDooms" might be on their way. We need to take tech security seriously, and white hat hackers can help us all prepare and protect ourselves in the future.